Witched: A New Form
by The Spokesman
Summary: Dark and East attain their Keeper forms. Read it!
1. Chapter 1

W.i.t.c.h.e.d.

A New Form

By D.B.F.

Chapter One

Demon sat in his throne. He sighed as Doom walked into the room.

"Bblac..." he began.

"No, Wyte," Demon said to him, "I don't want to hear it."

"What's wrong, brother?"

"Tomorrow is the seventh."

"So?"

"I made a promise to the demon Luck, remember? Every seventh and thirteenth he can leave his cell."Doom looked at him in a confused way.

"Why does this disturb you?" he asked.

Demon stood up. "Because," he said, "it gets harder to pull him back. I soon will lose my power over him."

"That's impossible!"

"Is it?"

"Yes! He's forced to stay in Nreyda, with the exception of the seventh and thirteenth of each month. We'll just get him on one of the other days when he's stuck in here."

"He's the trickiest Death Nation fighter I've ever seen." He sighed. "He may be in Nreyda, but that doesn't mean I have control over him." The wind began to blow. A faint whisper was carried on it.

_Waiting. Your mother is waiting._

"The Guardians are looking for our brother," Doom said.

"That will make our work easier," Demon said, giving his brother an evil smirk. "Come. Let us rest."

In a small cage, deep in the castle, something began to stir. It paced back and forth waiting patiently to be free once more. It spoke:

"The time is upon you, Earth. I have been locked up for centuries, but I will soon be free." It chuckled, thinking of what it did to deserve to be locked up in the first place.

"Pain and turmoil will come to all. In one days time, Earth will be turned to rubble by my awesome power!" Electricity surged from the creature's body. "I am no Death Nation dweller. I am what happens when a vampire falls for a Death Nation dweller."

"I am a demon. Probably the last one alive. But I'll change that. Soon I'll bring back all of my friends, and I, the demon Luck will rule the universe!" He chuckled again. There was a sound.

"Shut up!" the guard keeper yelled. he threw a roll of bread into the cage.

The being picked up the bread. _Soon,_ he thought, _very soon._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"Cedric!"

Scales' voice echoed through out the house. She was filled with joy. She ran towards him to try to embrace him.Dark was trying to get off the floor. Using that much power seemed to have weakened him.

"Wow," he panted, finally standing up, "I wasn't able to do that before. What changed?" Even before he asked the question he knew the answer. The Heart of Phoenix had given him even more power than he had before.East looked at Dark, then Phobos, then Cedric. She laughed.

"You guys look a lot alike," she chuckled, "You could be related."

Cornelia walked up to East, and looked at the three of them. "You're right," she said in awe, "They do look alike."

"Well," Dark said, looking at Phobos and Cedric, "I'm not related to any of them. There's no way I-"

He stopped. Everyone watched as he began to float above the ground. He closed his eyes, stuck out his left hand and whispered something. Instantly the Heart of Phoenix appeared in his palm.

"East! Light!" he shouted. The Heart shot out a white teardrop at East.

"Dark! Darkness!" he yelled. He spoke of himself in third tense. A black teardrop shot out of the Heart and into him, but instead of stopping, the Heart shot out two more teardrops, and shot those at Dark as well!

Suddenly there was a flash of light. A strong wind began blowing. It was so strong, it took Dark and East's clothes and almost them as well. The two stared at each other with expressions of fear and joy. They felt their arms and legs beginning to stretch out. Their bodies became more powerful and muscular.

East felt something strange in her back. Two small, blue wings had sprouted from it. Then the wind stopped blowing. East looked at Dark. He was wearing a pair of black pants with blue stripes and no shirt. He had a long cape and black, cloth shoes. He didn't have a hat, but he quickly resolved that by getting one of his own. His muscles were bigger. He looked like he could toss a car with ease.

"You look nice," she said to him.

"So do you," he said with a shy smile.

She went to a mirror. She was wearing a tight, black tank top with black and blue leggings. As she turned around, she noticed that she had tiny wings in her back. She turned to Dark.

"I look even nicer than you," she said with a smile.

"That's good," he said.

They looked at the others. They were stunned. Dark flexed his muscles and smiled. "You like my new look?" he asked. The girls only nodded.

"That's nice," Scales said, "but I'm good." She hugged Cedric and sighed.

"Well," East said, "Do you like _my_ new look?"

Phobos nodded. "You look very nice," he said.

"Well," Dark said, "I'd hate to interrupt this fashion runway show, but we've got work to do." He summoned the Heart, changing himself and East back to their normal form. "It's time to start looking for your parents again." He flashed a smile at North. "Let's get back to Heatherfield."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Doom looked into the Pool of Sight. "Show me the Keepers," he commanded. It began to swirl. When it stopped it showed Dark and East transforming. He watched as Dark became taller and more muscular. East became more beautiful and curved.

"They could stop him," he said, "If they can get to him soon, they can do it without much resistance from him. But he is clever. He won't come near them until he is more powerful. He will defeat the Guardians with ease. But the Keepers are powerful enough to succeed where they fail."

There was a loud _clank!_ and an evil laugh that echoed through the castle. "It's time," he said with a sad sigh. "I must keep my promise. I must free Luck."

He walked down to the prison.

"The time has come," a voice said, "I must be freed. We made a deal. I would hate to have to take back my part of it."

"So would I." He touched the cage door. "A deal is a deal." He pulled out a key and unlocked the cage. "But remember, you must leave Nreyda after I open this cage." He unlocked the door. "Go now...Luck!"

A creature shot out of the cage, almost knocking Demon over. "I hope," he said, looking down at his feet, "that the Keepers can defeat him soon." He walked back up to his room.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

While on the plane, Hay Lin was telling Yan Lin about her problem.

"So you see, Grandma," Hay Lin finished, "I don't know who to choose. I like Eric for certain reasons, but I like Dark for others. I'm so confused."

"I believe," Yan Lin began, "that soon you will know who cares about you more. Wait a little while, you're still young."

"But the school has been rebuilt. Their bound to find out about each other. I'm doomed!" She looked around and gave an embarrassed grin to Dark. He was the only one, excluding Yan Lin and herselfwho was still awake, even after the 11 hours they'd been in the air. He rose and walked toward the door of the plane.

"Tell the others," Dark said, giving Hay Lin a big, toothy grin, "that I'll see them at Heatherfield."

"What are you doing?" Hay Lin shouted.

"Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..." Dark said grinning even wider. He turned the door's knob. "Taking a faster route home." He opened the door and jumped out of the plane!

"NOOOOOOOO!"

Hay Lin's scream awoke everyone on the plane.

"What is it?" Irma asked Hay Lin, taking her by the shoulders.

"What's wrong?" East and North said simultaneously.

"Dark...he...crazy...jumped," Hay Lin stuttered.

"Dark jumped out of the plane," Yan Lin said to the others, "He said he'd see us at Heatherfield."

North gave a small laugh. "Dark can fly," she told them, "He's been able to ever since he was six. He always does that, especially when he's trying to impress a girl." She looked over at Hay Lin. "We'll see him soon."

"How do you know?" Will asked her.

"Because in 12 hours we'll be landing in Heatherfield."

The plane door opened again. Dark walked in.

"So," he said to Hay Lin, "would you like to go for a ride?"

"No thanks. I like feeling the ground under my feet."

"No you don't. You're Air, you love flying. You just don't trust me."

"I do trust you, Dark. It's just that..." She turned away from Dark and the others.

"Yes?"

"I don't want you to get the wrong idea." She turned back to face Dark. "I've got a boyfriend already."

"I'm not proposing to you."

"I know, but I just don't want you to think we're anything more than just friends."

"I don't."Hay Lin's eyes widened.

"Really?"

"Yeah. To me, saving the world is job. And I don't believe in on-the-job relationships."

"So you don't care that I have a boyfriend?"

"Not...at...all," Dark said, taking slow, deep breaths. "I'll see you guys later." With that he opened the door and jumped out of the plane again.

East walked up to Hay Lin and put her arm around her shoulders. "Whoo!" she said. "You two are hotter than summer in the Caribbean."

"Leave me alone," Hay Lin said, shaking East's arm off of her shoulders. She sat down in her seat and closed her eyes.

"Well," Cornelia said, "Dark really does impress me. We'd make such a cute couple."

"Yeah right!" Will said. "You'd probably dump him the minute he does something you don't like."

"Hmph!" Cornelia folded her arms over her chest and sat in the seat next to Hay Lin.

"Why do I get the feeling we're being watched?" Phobos pondered. He looked outside one of the windows of the plane. Sure enough, they were being watched by a tall man with an all black dress suit, a long cape that had the collar pulled up and no eyes.

Cedric started to tremble. His eyes rolled back and his nose and mouth started to bleed. "Don't go near him!" he yelled. "He can't hurt us if we don't get close to him."

"How do you know this?" Tibor asked him.

"I don't know. I just do."

The others took heed to the advice and ignored the man. After a few minutes, he flew off.

"Who was that?" Taranee inquired.

"Not who," Scales said, "What. That was the demon Luck. He has been encaged for centuries for trying to destroy the universe. One of the evil kings of Nreyda made a deal with him. He promised that if he gave him his eyes he would let him out of his prison once the new Keepers and Guardians had joined forces. He is indestructible. His only weakness is that he can only leave Nreyda the seventh and thirteenth of each month."

"So we're gonna have to beat him?" Irma asked.

"No," North said, "Dark will have to beat him."

"Why Dark?" East asked. "Why not me?"

"Because," Fate said, standing up, "Luck...is Dark's birth father."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

"We must never talk about this to Dark," Cornelia said.

_As if we were ever going to talk to him!_ Irma thought. She and the rest of the W.i.t.c.h. gang, along with Cedric, Phobos and some others, were getting out of their jet and heading home.

_Of course "HOME" is a lot different now._ Instead of living in a cozy house, or beautiful condo, or even a small cabin, the five girls, along with everyone else were going to live in a small-looking house, that had either a terrible draft or a broken air conditioner that wouldn't turn off.

The twelve people walked into the house. Instead of felling cold and afraid, Irma felt warm, which for some reason made her even more afraid. Everyone looked the same way Irma did: confused.

"So do you like what I've done with the place?" Everyone looked up at the balcony of the second floor. There, standing in a long, black robe that looked like what Phobos would wear, was Dark. He was beaming with pride.

"Dark," North said in a sweet tone, "why did you change our home?" She started shaking nervously. "You know I don't like change."

Dark smiled sweetly at the shivering woman he called friend. His smile faded as he remembered he'd seen this picture before, except the woman was different, and shivering because she had seen him. He'd reached out to her, but she'd backed away from him. "I'm not going to hurt you," he had said, "I'm here to help."

"Dark!"Dark awoke from his daydream.

"Yes?" he said shaking his head. He could only hear distorted voices

"Where can we put our bags down?"

Irma's voice was clear as day. Dark was grateful that she could make herself heard. He pointed at a small door. "You can put them in there," he said, rubbing his forehead, "or in your rooms."

"Rooms?" Cornelia's distorted voice said.

"Follow me," he said. For some reason his daydream had made him very woozy. He couldn't see or hear that well. His hands were trembling and his voice was scratchy and quiet.

"Are you alright?" Dark heard a familiar voice say.

"Hay Lin?"

"Yes Dark?"

"I thought so...Something's wrong."

"What?"

"I think it's the heat. I've never been able to take that much of it."

"But you said you were cold-blooded."

"I am, but I need to keep my blood cold."

"Why? Most cold-blooded animals need the warmth."

"I'm not most cold-blooded animals. I'm Dark Flyer, a new breed of fear." He looked at his other friends. "North show them their rooms." He staggered to a black door. He turned the knob and walked into the room.

"What happened to him?" Irma asked.

"It's the heat," East said, "Dark can't stand it. He likes you guys so much he'd leave his comfort zone so you guys could feel better."

"We didn't need him to, though," Will said, "We could manage with the cold weather."

"But he didn't want you to 'manage,' he wants you to be comfortable."

East and Fate walked up to the door Dark had walked into.

"Dark?" Fate said, knocking on the door. It felt colder than the rest of the house, even when it was iced. "You can come out now."

They heard a small hiss from inside the room. The door opened. Dark was standing in the doorway smiling. His teeth were sharper a strange liquid was coming off of them. His eyes were visible for the first time. They were all white, with no pupils. "It's time," he said with a deep, strong voice, "I'm through hiding. I'm going to show the girls my true self."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

"My!" Tibor exclaimed. "What a beautiful view of the city!" He was looking out the window of his room.

His room had walls painted gold, a king-sized bed that had red sheets and a golden comforter, and a golden colored door with a red handle.

"It looks better at night."

Tibor turned around to find himself face to face with Phobos. He had changed his attitude, his thoughts, even his clothes. He was now wearing a white button up shirt with a pair of black jeans and a black ball cap.

"Dark gave them to me," he told Tibor, "He said I needed to blend in. And to do that I needed to get some new clothes." Tibor smiled. He knew how he felt. When he first heard that he would have to change his clothes he was offended.

"So," Phobos said with a sigh, "how do I look?"

"Fine," Tibor said, smiling politely.

"No I don't."

"Yes you do."

"Then why do I feel that you're laughing at me?"

"Why would I laugh at you? Look at what I'm wearing."

Tibor was wearing a red T-shirt, green shorts that reached his knees, and a blue ball cap.

"You look nice," Phobos told him, smiling. He turned to leave his room.

"Phobos," Tibor called to him, "tell me something."

"Yes? What do you want to know?"

"What made you change? Why are you working with us now?"

"I have my reasons." With that he left Tibor's room, and went to his own.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Amber lay on the soft, green grass. She was facing the night sky. She almost looked peaceful, though she wasn't. In truth she was in a panic. She couldn't move, she could barely speak, and she couldn't breathe. The only thing she could do was think, and remember.

_All the things I've done,_ she thought, trying not to cry, _All of the people I've hurt. I can't change the past, and I feel that I won't have a future._ She let out a small sob.

_I never wanted to do any of this,_ she continued, _I never wanted to fight, or kill...or die._

Her sobs became cries of pain, physical, mental, and emotional.

"I'm sorry Dark," she managed to say through her tears, "I've failed you." Amber's head fell back onto the grass. Her tears stopped. Her pain was gone. Amber had died.

Or had she?

_I'm sorry Dark. I've failed you._

The thought echoed in Dark's mind. "Oh no. Amber!" Before anyone knew what was going on, Dark had shot out the door, and was running towards a long field of grass.

"What's he doing?" Will pondered aloud.

"He's running."

"Who said that?" Irma demanded. She spun around to see a woman in her late 30's with lavender hair and gray eyes. She was wearing a light blue dress and matching shoes.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Flash Orrico," she told her, "I'm Dark's parental guardian."

Meanwhile Dark was running to a particular spot in the field. He didn't know why, he just was. He could feel his clothes weighing him down. He took off his cape, then his shoes and socks. His shirt was last. Panting, running as fast as he could, he could hear cries, as if the whole field was crying, pleading him to hurry.

"I don't know why, or how, but I've gotta go faster!"

As he said this, he felt enormous power begin to surge through him. The Heart of Phoenix was giving him more strength and speed! He raced to reach that one spot he'd seen in his mind.

"Whoo! This is a long field!" he panted. He would have thought it, but no one was there to hear him, and he needed all of his mind focused on finding that one spot.

While Dark was running and the Guardians were making new friends, Phobos was watching something else. He was watching Cedric and Scales.

_Why must they be happy and not I?_ the former prince thought. _Cedric was evil too. Why does he get happiness and I get sorrow?_

He looked at his hands. "I want to be good," he sighed, "but it's so hard. I wish it were easier."

"It will get easier."

Phobos whirled around to find himself face to face with Tibor.

"Just give it some time."

"How much time?"

"It depends."

"On what?"

"What you did _before_ you changed."

Phobos knew he couldn't argue. He had done horrible things and shamed his name. The only one he could blame for his wrong doings was himself.

"I-" Phobos began. He looked down at his feet. "I want to be like Dark," he forced out, "I want to be cared for, respected, loved. He has everything I want...and some things I don't."

Phobos began to realize something. Dark had one big thing he didn't want: power. He was rich and getting richer. _I would abuse this power,_ he thought to himself, _So would anyone else. Except him. He uses his money to help people who are less fortunate than himself._ Then Phobos realized something else. _He's fighting his emotions,_ he thought, _He keeps them bottled up inside of him. I wonder why..._

Irma watched as Flash walked up to her. She put her hands on Irma's shoulders. "You miss her don't you?"

"Who?" Irma said, shaking free of Flash's grip.

"Your birth mother."

Dark finally found the spot he was looking for. "Okay," he said, continuing to run, "It's about 300-250 yards-200 out. Hold on, Amber! I'm-a comin' for ya!"

Phobos was still trapped in thought. "How?" he finally said to Tibor, "How can I change?" He fell to his knees. "Tibor, please help me change!"

"First get up."

Phobos obeyed, and stood up.

"Good. Never humble yourself. Stand tall and proud. Next you'll have to go to Metamoor."

"I can't go back in there! They'll kill me!"

"Then you will die knowing that you made a change."

"I wanted help, not an execution!"

"They won't kill you. Especially if they don't know you're there."

"Who should I apologize to first?"

"Your sister."

"How?"

"You must bow."

He bowed. Tibor felt a burning desire to kick him in the teeth.

"Not to me! To HER!"

Phobos stood back up. "Why?"

"To show that you are humble."

"But you just said that-"

"Not to be humble to me, or any man, but a queen or king. Only a queen or king. And your sister is the queen of Metamoor. Come. We must find a way to open a portal to Metamoor so you can clear your conscience."

"How do you know about my mom?" Irma inquired Flash.

"Well you see," North said, "Dark trained her."

"She's alive?"

"Yes."

"And you didn't tell me?!"

"Well we didn't know until now."

"How did you not know until now?!"

"Because Dark needs you more than you need your mother."

Dark paced across the dark field. "A little farther," he pleaded to himself. He was almost able to see Amber's face. "Just a little farther." His hearts were weak. He wouldn't be able to keep this up for much longer. "I think I can. I think I can. I think I...can't." He fell down. He tried to force himself to stand up, but he couldn't."I'm sorry, Amber," he cried, "I couldn't save you then, and I guess I can't save you now."

Suddenly there was a flash of light. Dark felt a new source of power surging through him. But could this be? He looked at his chest. His heart was...glowing?

"I have three hearts," Dark realized, "I'll use my last one to get Amber back to my house, where she can be taken care of." He ran over to his dying friend. Scooping her up in his arms, Dark began to run back to his home.

"I'm sorry Dark," Amber cried as he ran up the steps to his house, "I've failed you." She heard a _thud!_ and suddenly she found herself lying in a bed with beautiful silk sheets.

"You ain't dead yet," she heard Dark say. She saw him, standing in the doorway. He looked rather tired.

"Thank you, Dark," Amber whispered, "I don't know how I can repay you."

"I do," he said with a smile, "Give me the one thing I asked you for when we first met."

"Your riddle."

"Yes. Have you figured it out yet?"

"Yes."

"What do I want?"She paused. She knew he was testing her. She gave a warm smile and whispered the answer in his ear.

"You," he said, "have just completed your training."

He walked out of her room."Yes," she said to herself, "I have." She slowly closed her eyes and fell into her dreams.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Luck walked through the streets of Nreyda. He sneered quietly as he saw some children playing in the street.

_Insolent youth!_ he thought. _Don't they have school or something?_

He continued down the street. He noticed that the town seemed happy, even though they were ruled by two evil kings. He stopped an elderly Air Nation man and asked, "Why is this town so joyous? There's nothing to be happy about."

The old man shook his head and said, "You don't understand our joy. The two evil kings can no longer keep their thrones! Their time is up! They're imposters!"

"Really?"

"Yes!" He began to fly for joy, but then stopped. He beckoned Luck to come closer. "They say," he whispered, "that the real king is on Earth."

"Earth?"

"Yeah! And that the Keepers of the Gate have come back to find him!"

_Oh no!_ Luck thought. _I must get to Earth! I have to save him![i]_

Luck thanked the man and ran into an alley. "Okay," he said with a sigh, "I haven't done this in one hundred years, but now I have no choice." His muscles tightened as his body started to change.

He could feel his body shrinking. He could see less than before, thanks to huiman's weak eye sight. And finally the part he hated the most, his deep, dark voice became more high-pitched and normal.

"Well," he said in disgust, "It's for a good cause."

He created a portal and secretly slipped into Earth.

Mr. Snipe was writing the words "Welcome Back" on the blackboard. He was the only person in his classroom at the time. He sighed. "It's so good to be back," he said.

_It really is._

"Who's there?" Mr. Snipe shouted as he looked around.

_Too bad this is your last time seeing this classroom._

"Who are you?"

_Zzzzzttt!_

Instead of using words, the voice shot a powerful lightning bolt at Mr. Snipe. It hit him right in the center of his chest. Instead of falling, though, Mr. Snipe smiled. "Nice try," he taunted, "Now it's myt turn."

He stuck out his hand and shot a fireball over to where the lightningbolt had originated.

"Ah!"

Uriah jumped out of the way of the fireball, revealing himself to Snipe. "Uriah," Snipe said with an evil grin, "I should've known." He grabbed the boy by his shirt collar. "How did you attain such power?"

_ZZZZZZZTTTTTT!_

Before Uriah could answer, another lightningbolt hit Snipe. He tumbled to the ground, releasing Uriah, who was using his ability of flight to stay in the air.

"Nice to see you again, Death."

Mr. Snipe shot up. "Demon?" he said.

"Yes. It is I."

"What may I do for you, my lord?"

"Wait," Uriah interrupted, "You two know each other?"

"We're related," Death said, "Now be quiet!"

"I need you to find someone for me," Demon said.

"Who?"

"His name is Dark Flyer."

"I know him. He has a class here in about half an hour."

"Bring him to me unharmed. Uriah will aid you in this task." With that Demon created a portal and disappeared.

_My enemy,_ Uriah thought, looking at Mr. Snipe, _is my ally? No! I'll never work with him!_ He stormed out of the classroom. _I'll get him for this,_ he thought, _I'll get them all!_ "Starting," he said aloud, "with Irma."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Hay Lin was getting worried. Not only had she blown Dark off a few days ago, she'd realized that herself, Dark and Eric were in all of the same classes together. _This is a catastrophy!_  
she screamed in her mind. _How am I supposed to keep them separated now?_ She sighed. _I guess it's not a real problem,_ she thought, _I mean after all, Dark did say that he didn't believe in on-the-job relationships._

The intercom crackled as it came on. "Attention students!" Principal Knickerbocker said. "Since the school was closed until today, we are going to give you all time to do your projects."

_Oh no! Our project! I agreed to do a project with Dark!_ Hay Lin put a hand on her forehead. _Now I feel really miserable. I didn't even give the guy a chance. What kind of friend am I?_

"Each classroom will make a project. Then the judges will determine which is best. The rules are that there can only be as few as four members on each team."

Hay Lin gave a sigh of relief. _At least I won't be alone with him,_ she thought.

"Also there must be even. Meaning if there are two girls on a team, there must be two boys. To register your team please come to the vice principal's office at lunch. That is all." The intercom crackled once more.

_Oh great! Now I've got to work with another guy, as well as Flyer!_

"Okay," Mr. Snipe said in a deep, strong voice, "I recall Dark and Hay Lin had created a team, but now the rules state that there must be at least four members to a team. So you two decide which two or more students will be helping you with your project."

Dark stood up. "Well," he said, "I'd like to team up with Alchemy." He pointed at the girl with short, brunette hair. She was wearing a green and white striped sweater.

"M-m-m-me?" she said quietly. Dark nodded. "Come on! It'll be fun."

_Maybe for you,_ Hay Lin thought. She stood up. "Mr. Snipe," she announced, "I would like to choose Eric for our other partner." She gave Dark a sinister smile.

"Anyone else?" Mr. Snipe asked.

"No," Dark and Hay Lin said simultaneously.

"Very well. I wish you luck!"

_I'll need more than that,_ Hay Lin thought, realizing that she had just made her life harder. _Now I'm working with Dark AND Eric! There's no way I can keep them separate now! I'm doomed! And on top of that my parents are still missing! This is the worst day of my life._

At lunch, Hay Lin went to sign her group up for the contest. "North," she said in a meek voice, "does Dark really think this is a job?"

"What do you mean?" North said, filling some papers.

"Does he think saving the world is a job?"

"No. He thinks it's just fun."

"So we could date if we wanted to?"

North stopped filing and turned to look at Hay Lin. "You're regretting your decission?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Tell him that. I can't help you with this matter." She went back to filing.

"I came here to tell you that my group will be representing Mr. Snipe's classroom."

"Good. Good. Who's on it?"

"Dark, Alchemy...and Eric."

North froze. "Let me get this straight," she said very slowly, "You, Dark, Alchemy, and Eric are all on one team?"

"Yes."

"Now I have to help you."

"Why only now?"

"Because Dark shows only two emotions: jelousy and anger. So technically you just let a bull in the china shop."

"Oh no! Eric!"

Hay Lin rushed out of the office, knocking Martin Tubbs out of the way. A few seconds later she was in the cafeteria. "Dark!" she shouted.

"Yeah?" a voice behind her said.

"Where is he?"

"Who?"

"Eric!" She slapped him. "What did you do to him?"

"Nothing!" he said, rubbing his cheek.

"Then where is he?" She raised her hand again.

"You can try to hit me," Dark whispered, "but you'll only hurt yourself."

Hay Lin noticed that while Dark's face barely had any redness, her hand was completely red and swollen. "Where is he?" she demanded.

"He went," Dark replied, pulling himself up to her ear, "to talk get his lunch." He gave a small hiss.

Hay Lin felt a chill go up her spine. She let Dark go just as Eric came in the cafeteria.

"What were you doing to him?" he inquired her.

"Uh..."

"Why were you holding him like that?"

"Well..."

"She was worried about you," Dark said, picking himself up.

"How did that lead to _that_?"

"She thought I did somrthing to you."

"Why would she think that? We're pals."

"She didn't know that until just now."

"Wait," Hay Lin interrupted, "You two are friends?"

"Yeah," Eric said, "What did you think we were?"

"Nothing," she said, blushing. She quickly walked over to where her friends were sitting.

"Wow!" East said. "You've got man issues! You've been trying to keep them apart and yet they still have met...and they're friends! You must feel pretty stupid, huh?"

"Shut up!" Hay Lin snapped at her.

"Well," Irma said, "we wanted to ask you something."

"Yes? What is it?"

"We've decided to put East's and Dark's initials in our group name," Will said.

"And?"

"And we came up with the name 'W.i.t.c.h.e.d.,'" Cornelia said.

"W.i.t.c.h.e.d.?"

"Yeah," Taranee said, "So what do you think?"

"So we're W.i.t.c.h.e.d. now, instead of W.i.t.c.h.?"

"Yeah," East said.

"I like it. Does Dark know?" Hay Lin asked.

"He was the one who gave us the idea," Will said.

"Well, then we're W.i.t.c.h.e.d."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Will slept restlessly, her dreams invaded by a terrible nightmare. It had been this way for the past three days. The dream was always the same, but now it was much more vivid.

_Instead of Will, there is only a young girl. She has a pink, silk robe on that sways when she walks. She has green eyes and black hair. She's in a mansion, filled with different rooms, all painted white. She smiles contently, looking around._

She hears a sound coming from one of the rooms.

_**Bang! Bang! Bang!**___

Out of curiosity, she opens the door to the room. There is a flash, and the once young girl is now a teen. She still lives in the mansion, though it has been repainted. It now has all rooms painted red.

The teen version of the girl wears a black skirt and a red blouse. Her teeth seem to have grown, her eyes are now yellow and fierce and her hair is a deeper black.

She looks out of her window. Many people are gathered outside of her house.

At first Will thought this was good, but now she knows the truth.

_**Bang! Bang! Bang!**___

This time the noise came from the outside of the house.

"Open the door!" a man says. He starts beating it with some sort of weapon. "Open it or we'll open it ourselves!"

The door begins to rattle and shake. The girl stands at the top of the stairs, fearful of what she knows they'll do to her. She begins to cry. she sits on one of the stairs, as she hears the door begin to crack. There's nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. Soon it'll be over. The girl will die.

Will awoke before the door broke, like she did every night. She walked out of her room. She noticed that someone-or something-was leaning on the banister of the second floor.

"Can't sleep?" it said.

"Dark?" Will asked the figure.

It shook his head. "I'm not Dark, but I am a part of him."

"What do you mean?"

"While he fights his emotions he fights the part of himself that I provided."

"So you're his father?"

"No."

"Then what do you mean?"

"Until now I thought he was my son. I kept him and raised him like he was my own. Until now I was unable to protect him. That's why he was taken from me and is now here. Until now the Keepers were destroyed."

"Destroyed?" Will pondered. "How?"

"An impostor of me did that," he told her, "The Keepers used the last of their energy to imprison him. But it seems that he's found a way to escape that prison and enter Earth. He will try to destroy you all, but I feel that Dark will be able to defeat him easily."

"Why Dark?"

"Dark has newfound power. He's the strongest weapon in your arsenal now. Use him."

"Who are you?"

"My name is Phantom. I'm one of Dark's protectors."

"What do you protect him from?"

"Evil that he is not yet ready to face."

"Where are his other guardians?" Will asked.

"They're coming right now. You might want to shield your eyes."

There was a flash of light. After the flash was gone, Will looked up to see two more figures in the shadows.

"This," Phantom said, pointing at the figure to his left, "is Phang. Dark attained his ability to absorb poison and disperse it from him."

Phang bowed. "Hello," he said in a deep, hoarse voice.

Will waved slightly. His voice scared her a little.

"And this," Phantom continued, pointing at the shadow on his right, "is Fist. He's the best martial artist in the universe. Dark learned his strength and endurance from him."

"Hi," Fist said in a meek voice.

"Hello," Will said, feeling less afraid, "So you've told me what powers they have, do you have any special traits?'

"Well," Phantom said, "I am a master of all weaponry. I'm also a master of power. We each taught Dark our skills so that he could be strong enough to survive on his own. We are three of the Brotherhood of Power."

"Where are the others?"

"They will come soon. One was evil, but decided to convert back. He will come first."

"What is his name?"

"Luck."

"'Luck?'" Will repeated.

"Yes."

"His father destroyed the Keepers?"

"Luck is not his father," Phang said, "None of us are. His father disappeared long ago. He is assumed to be dead. And Luck was only accused of this crime. He did not commit it."

"Tell Dark all that you have seen and heard," Phantom said.

"Okay. I'll go-"

"Not right now," Fist said, grabbing Will's arm, "when you wake up."

"But-" Will started.

_"I am awake..."_

Will sat up in her bed. "What a dream," she said to herself. She rubbed her arm. "I better go talk to Dark." She looked at her clock. _5:00 a.m._ she thought, _Dark's not even awake yet._ She walked outside of her room.

"Can't sleep?"

The voice came from a figure that was leaning on the banister of the second floor.

"Phantom?" Will inquired.

"No, it's me, Dark."

"Oh." She gave sigh of relief. "I need to talk to you about something."

After Will told him everything, Dark smiled. "Then we must prepare for Luck's arrival," he said. He checked his watch. "Maybe in a few hours. Right now let's try to get some more sleep." He carried the half sleep girl to her room.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

"We are going, no matter what you say, Dark," North said. She folded her arms over her chest.

Dark frowned as North said this. "Why do I have to come?" he asked her. "I'm not really needed."

"You're going to set a good example for your pupils."

"Who are...?"

"The rest of them," East said, "They need to know how to Concentrate, and you're the best Concentration tutor ever!"

"I'm a teacher, not a miracle worker. They barely have control over their magic power, and-"

"You're scared," North said, "Scared that the power might corrupt them."

"Well..."

"Come on! What's the worst that could happen?"

"Uhh..."

"I'll give you a choice. You can teach them how to Concentrate, or you'll have to come with us."

"Done!" he shouted. "Well girls, you're going to learn how to Concentrate!"

"What did you do to him to get him to teach us?" Irma asked North, after hearing what Dark had said.

"Well," she chuckled, "If he hadn't taught you guys how to Concentrate, he'd be on his way to church right now."

"What's wrong with church?"

"Don't worry about it," Dark said, walking up behind them, "Worry about yourself. It's time to start your training."

_RRRRRRRRRRR!_

There was a sound behind one of the doors. A familiar door to the girls. It had a brown, cresent-shaped seal on it.

"What does she want?" Will pondered aloud.

"Who's 'She'?" Dark asked, tilting his head.

"There's a mermaid in there," Hay Lin told him, "that told us where we could find you."

"What did you give her in return for her information?"

"What do you mean?"

"To get something from a mermaid, you have to give them something in return."

_And it's time to pay up!_

The voice came from the mermaid that was on the opposite side of the door. She sounded angry.

"What do you want from us?" Taranee asked.

_Nothing from you girls. But the male that's with you can pay for your debt._

"What do you want from me?" Dark asked her.

"She wants your blood," Irma said.

"If she wants it, she can have it." He walked up to the door. Moving his hand across the door, he broke the seal. As he opened the door, a strong breeze blew out of the room, chilling the girls to the bone.

"Be careful, Dark!" North called out to him.

Dark walked into the room, closing the door and recreating the seal on it. The girls walked up to the door, pressing their ears to it, so they could listen to what was being said.

"Well," they heard the mermaid say, "Dark Flyer. We meet again."

"Just get it over with," Dark said.

"Very well." There was a silence. Then they heard a strange sound. The mermaid was...purring? Dark gave a small, painful moan.

"She's drinking his blood!" Irma whispered loudly.

"Gross!" Hay Lin hissed. She walked away from the door.

"What's wrong with her?" Cornelia said quietly.

_She's worried about Dark,_ East said in their minds, reaching out to Dark's mind as she said it, _Hay Lin really cares about him. She wonders if he feels the same._

After a few moments the purring stopped. They could hear the mermaid give a small sigh of joy. "Thank you," she said. Even though the girls couldn't see her, they could picture a smile on her face. "Your blood is always so delicious."

"Yeah," Dark said, "I know. But you should know that if we do this again, you will lose your ability to speak human languages."

"Why?"

"Because..." His voice lowered to a whisper. "...I've been drinking female blood."

"You're not a vampire!"

"Actually I am. I'm one of the 'goody two-shoes' vampires. I believe that us and humans should be able to live together in harmony."

"That will never happen! You know that!"

"You may be right, but there's always hope."

"There's no hope! Listen to me! I tried to be good, but-"

"It's hard to do. That's why I've got help from my friends."

"They're NOT-" The girls could hear her uncontrollable sobs. "They're not your friends. When you're one of us, no one is your friend."

"Well you're wrong about that." He began to walk toward the door, but stopped. "Before I leave, I want to ask you something."

"Yes?"

"Would you like to come out of this room with me?"

They could hear her sigh. Then she quietly said, "Yes."

"Then take my hand."

They could hear water sloshing around as she came towards him.

_Beep. Beep._

Dark's watch beeped only twice and stopped. Then there was a _Zztt!_ and They heard the mermaid gasp.

"Now then, Desire," Dark said, opening the door, "let's go meet our friends." The door opened once more. First only Dark walked out. Then a girl walked out of the room. She wore a red blouse and a black skirt. Her hair was a deep black, and her eyes were a piercing yellow. Will knew she'd seen someone that looked just like that. Suddenly she remembered where she'd seen the girl. She looked just like the girl in...

"My dream!" Will shouted. "You were the girl in my dream!"


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

Dark looked at his mermaid friend. He still remembered how they first met.

_**Bang! Bang! Bang!**___

The crowd of angry people were pounding on the door. It was about to give way. Desire was crying while sitting at the bottom of the stairs. She knew her life was soon to end after the door had been destroyed. Suddenly the pounding on the door stopped. There was a strong gust of wind and the next thing she knew a young boy dressed in all black was sitting next to her.

"Do you want to leave?" he had asked her.

The girl nodded.

"Then take my hand." The boy stuck out his hand and turned it palm up. The girl took his hand. Then there was a flash. When the girl awoke she found herself lying in a bed with silk sheets. She noticed that the boy that saved her was standing over her.

"Welcome home," he had said with a weary smile.

"Dark," North said in her sweetest voice, "Who is this?"

"You don't know me, North?" the girl, apparently named Desire, asked.

"No. How do you know me?"

"We've met before."

"When?"

"When Dark took me in."

"When was that?"

"Three years ago. Upon request I was put in that room, so no one would know about me."

"But how did you get in my dream?" Will inquired.

"I don't know. Dark's been training me, so I've found a lot of stuff out about myself. I can fly, use fire, even breathe underwater."

"But can't mermaids breathe underwater?" Irma asked.

"I wasn't always a mermaid. I transformed into one and, until now, I couldn't get out of that form. Dark said I had to learn how to do it myself."

"How did you know all of that history on the mer-people?" East pondered.

"In that form, I attained the mer-people's knowledge. That is how I know what I do about mermaids." She could feel the next question coming her way was "Are you a vampire?" But instead of that question, she heard an entirely different one.

"Why did you do that to Dark?" The entire group looked around to see who asked the question. The answer came to Dark before anyone else. At first he didn't want to believe it was her, but after a few seconds he realized that it was too late.

"Hay Lin!" There in front of them stood Hay Lin. Filled with rage, she was wielding a wood stake. It looked as if she was going to thrust it into something...or someone.

"Now listen to me, Hay Lin," Dark said, trying to calm her down, "you're angry, I get that, but why? Why are you angry?"

"You're so calm," she said, trying to hold in a sob, "You act like you already know the answer."

"I don't, though. I only know if you tell me."

"It seems that every time I get to have some time with you someone gets in the way. I'm tired of being last on your list! Why can't you give me some time?" She burst into tears.

"All right," Dark said, coming closer to her, "I'll spend more time with you. Anything else?"

Felling him nearing her, Hay Lin tightened her grip on the stake. "Yes. I want you to keep that girl away from us when we're spending time together." She pointed at Desire.

"You know why they call me Desire?" she asked, walking up to Hay Lin. "Because I know what you want." With lightning quick reflexes, Desire snatched the stake from her hand, and placed her hands on her temples. She began to make a strange sound. After a moment the sounds stopped, and Desire removed her hands from Hay Lin's head.

"You can't lie to a psychic," East said.

Instead of telling the entire group, Desire asked to speak to Dark alone. After a few moments Dark and Desire returned to the others.

"Well?" Cornelia asked.

"It's nothing," Desire said quickly. She hid behind Dark. He said something, and she walked beside him. "Hay Lin is in a very bad place."

"What do you mean by that?" Taranee pressed.

"She is having a crisis. She can't...have them both."

"What do you mean?" Irma asked.

"Don't worry about it," Dark said. He and Desire walked over to Hay Lin, who was lying on the floor, sobbing very heavily.

"Shhhhhhhhhh," Dark whispered to her. He picked her up and carried her to her room.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

Dark sat next to Hay Lin. He gave her a warm smile. "I'm sorry," he said to her.

"Prove it," she said, turning to face him.

"How?"

"I've been working on your riddle. I think I know what you want."

"Well tell me it, then. Tell me what do I want?"

Before she could tell him there was an ear-splitting screech. Though it hurt Hay Lin, Dark was bleeding from the pain he felt. He fell on the floor, twitching and groaning from the pain. Through all of his pain, he was able to utter out two words: "Luck's h-h-here."

Luck looked around the house. _Nice little dump,_ he thought, _If I gave him anything, it would have to be my sense of style._

As he looked around in awe, Desire walked up to him.

"Can I help you?" she asked him. In surprise he jumped back.

"Who are you?" he said.

_Thwap!_

Desire had slapped Luck! Shaking his head, he looked at her closely.

"Oh," he said dully, "It's you. Where's our leader?"

"He's upstairs."

"Who are these new girls he's brought here?" he asked, looking over at the four girls.

"They're the Guardians."

At the sound of that, Luck jumped back even farther. "Guardians?" he repeated. "Why would he keep them around? He's evil, right?"

_Thwap!_ This time Luck fell to the floor.

"Not anymore!" she spat. "He's changed since you broke away from us."

Dark felt himself being picked up off the floor, and placed on a bed. He began to open his eyes.

"No, no. Keep them closed." Hay Lin's sweet voice made him feel less afraid. He felt something cold touch his cheek.

"What are you doing?" he asked. He smiled as he felt the object touch his forehead.

"You'll find out," Hay Lin said in a teasing voice. She touched his cheek again, this time using her fingers.

"You're so warm," Dark whispered. He smiled as he brought his hand up to hers.

Luck stood up, swaying back and forth to keep his balance. "You know," he said in a distorted voice, "I think you want him to be good, but in truth he wants to be bad."

"You don't know anything about him!" North shouted.

"I know more about him than you and Desire combined! And it burns you up, doesn't it? I know everything about him, while you two-"

_Thwap!_ He fell backwards. This blow came from neither North nor Desire. This one came from...Irma?

"He's not evil!" Irma shouted even louder than North.

Dark stared at Hay Lin in awe. He'd never realized that she was so beautiful. He smiled at her and leaned in to kiss her.

_He's not evil!_

The voice came from downstairs. It was Irma's! Hearing the voice, Dark backed away from Hay Lin. Had he been that close to her all along?

"I don't want to go," Dark said apologetically to Hay Lin, "but I have to."

"Go," Hay Lin said, "but I'm coming too."

Dark nodded. Together they went downstairs to see what was wrong.

Irma fell to the floor. Though she was stronger than him, Luck had the advantage in size and speed. _I can't beat him with strength alone,_ she thought, _I have to use my size and speed too._ She stood back up, preparing herself for battle.

"Okay," she said in a strong voice, "Round Two!"

Dark and Hay Lin came down the stairs just in time to see Irma get flicked away like a fly by...

"Luck!"

The name coming out of his mouth made everyone else get chills. He rushed down the stairs to try to help his friend. "What are you doing?" he shouted at Luck. "What did she do to you?"

"She hit me first, and the rules-the rules that you made-clearly state that in a fight the being that is hit first has the right to defend themself. And that's what I did."

Dark clutched his fist. He felt himself getting angry. "Why have you come here?"

"To tell you something."

"What is it?"

"They're coming, Dark. Coming to find you. To kill you and all you care about."

"Who are 'they?'"

"They are called The Destroyers. They will come...soon." He pulled out a small orb. "This will keep you safe." He threw it at Dark, who grabbed it without taking his eyes off of him. Then Luck disappeared.

"What did he mean by, all you care about?" Taranee asked him.

"I don't know, but I want us to be ready to meet these 'Destroyers.' Come on, it's time to begin your training."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

It was all silent. The Congregation knew what had happened, and knew they could do nothing. None of them had the power to open a portal to Earth. The only one with the power to was Tibor, and he was already gone. The only thing left to do was wait, and hope that he and Yan Lin could find the new Oracle.

There were no discussions to be heard. No whispers. No conversations. The only sound that could be heard was those of the winds that blew outside of the Temple.

In the garden there is nothing. The plants have died. The water in the pool is gone. No one has been able to care for it. The is only one thing there...a small note. It sits, hoping to be found before it's too late. Its writer has left it for them. But they will not see it in time.

Finally a voice does break the silence. It brings good and bad news. There is no true body for the voice. It has created one for itself.

_The new Oracle is close to the Guardians. They will find him soon. But they will have to pay the price...in blood._


End file.
